Scriptorium is a new project I’m undertaking with Apologia, in which I’ll be seeking out interesting discussions about interesting books. These will typically have a theological or philosophical context, and I’ll be inviting people from both sides of the religious fence to participate with me. For the first in this series, I sat down with erstwhile Inquisition subject, Dan Ray, to talk about the historical novel “Silence” by Shūsaku Endō. “Silence” was recently adapted into a feature film by Martin Scorsese, and I found both the book and the film completely fascinating. The story involves two Portuguese Jesuit priests who journey to Edo Japan under threat of torture and death, seeking to support the persecuted Japanese Christians as well as to discover the truth about their reportedly apostatized mentor.